Rail-joint.



A. H. SHOEMAKER.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION I'ILBD 00T. 17,1907.

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UNiTEn sTATEs PATENT oEErcE.

ALVIN H. SHOEMAKER, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF ON E-HALF TO WILLIAM I. Y.

EWART, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

RAIL-J OIN T.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1908;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVIN H. SHOEMAKER, a *citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying draw- 1n s.

zglhis invention relates to rail-joints.

The principal object of the invention is the `provision of a joint that will retain the railends in alinement, and whereby the stresses received from a moving train will be distrib- ,uted throughout the joint structure and thus relieve the track itself as well as the bolt fastenings of the joint from the severe duty to which a track-rail is subjected.

With these objects in view, the invention consists 1n the novel construction, adapta* tion and combination of fish-plates and chairs with the standard type of track-rails, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of an embodiment of my invention with portions broken away and illustrating its adaptation to rails and ties of ordinary construction; and Fi 2 is a transverse cross sectional view of t e same.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 5 indicates a base or chair which is of suflicient length to be supported by at least two ties 6. It is constructed of caststeel, or other suitable metal, and is comprised of a dplate havin adjacent to its longitudinal e ges, upwar ly extending ridges 8 which are respectively provided with inner concave faces 8.

9 yare angle fish-plates adapted to be secured to the rails 10, as by bolts 11 passin through the holes 12 and 13 in the plates an rails, respectively. Said angle plates are formed with oppositely inclined faces 14 and 15 ada ted to intert with corres ondingly incline faces 10 and 10 of the rai head and foot, respectively. The laterally projecting flange 9 of an angle-plate, for strength and rigidity, is formed relatively thick and is turned downwardly along its outer edge to extend below the bottom 10 of the railfoot and terminates in a toe 9 adapted to fit with the face 8 of the base.

In practice, the base 5 is placed upon the track-ties to which it is secured by spikes 7, or an equivalent. The angle-plates 9 are supported upon the base and, in turn, support the ends of the rail l0 and in such manner that the rails are sustained so that the foot thereof will not contact with the chair. In consequence of this manner of assemblage, it is evident that the weight of the track-rail and the loads thereu on are not imparted directly to the chair, gut are transmitted to the latter through the angle-plates, thereby putting a constant, though varying, strain upon the angleplates which insures that the component joint parts will always be effective without depending upon securing bolts other than is necessary to retain the angle-plates in close relation with the rails. In other words, the angle-plates form what, for illustration, may be deemed the sides of a triangle, while the chair forms the base and also serves to prevent the spreading of the lower portions of the plates in opposition to the downward and lateral forces applied to their tops from the rail-head.

Having described my invention, what I claim, is-

1. A rail joint consisting in combination with the rails, of a base member provided in roximity of its lateral edges with upwardly directed ridges having concave inner faces, rail bearing angle plates having convex outer edges to fit in said concave faces of the ridges and having their upper edges inclined to engage and fit with the inclined underneath face of the rail treads and supporting the rails so that the base of the same will be some distance above the top of said base member, the base of said convex outer edges of the angle plates being free from contact with the base member.

2. A rail joint comprising in combination with the rails, a base member provided in proximity of its lateral edges with upwardly extending ridges provided with concave inner faces, rail bearing angle plates having laterallyrojecting depending flanges provided wit convex outer faces fitting the concave inner faces of the ridges, the base of said depending flanges being free from contact With the base member, and the upper edges of said angle plates fitting With and engaging 5 the underneath faces of the rail treads so that the rail base is held suspended above the base member throughout the length of the latter by the engagement of the angle plates at their upper edges With the rail treads and the engagement of the outer faces i0 of the laterally-depending flanges with the concave inner faces of the ridges.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in'presence of two Witnesses.

ALVIN H. SHOEMAKER.

Witnesses: l

PIERRE BARNES, RoB'r. B. GILLIEs. 

